You need a steel pair to drive in Brazil! :)

Yay! It’s the weekend! Gabe had to go to the rig on Friday, so it was left to me to take Jake to school. I was really nervous getting into the car--I know my way around Macae pretty well now, but driving here his terrifying! Houston freeway traffic is a leisurely drive in the country compared to driving the streets of Brazil. I had somehow forgotten about the motorcycle drivers who think they own the road. Every time one of them cut me off or zoomed by me with an inch of clearance, I just kept picturing turning my wheel just a tad and sending them flying into a palm tree! Jerks, but I made it safely to and from Jake’s school. His teacher and fellow students were so excited to see him! The staff at Maple Bear Academy are so nice, and most especially patient with my poor Portuguese. I really need to get a proper language teacher—life would be so much easier here if I could just freely speak the language!

I was really looking forward to a beach day this weekend, but the weather didn't cooperate. Awesome temperature, but rainy/overcast all weekend. BOO! We went for a walk today, and down the beach from us is an awesome pavilion restaurant called Quiosque. They serve everything from appetizers and salads to seafood and steaks. It is a family run restaurant, and the co/owner is the waiter while the other owner is the cashier—the mom/wife do the cooking. The food is amazing, and the waiter is always happy to see us. “AMIGO!”, he yells at us as we approach. He is such a nice man, and after finding out that Gabe was without his family for his birthday, offered to throw him a dinner party at his restaurant. One thing I can say about the Brazilian people is that the majority of them have been very kind and friendly to us gringos.

On another note, I’m beginning my workout routine today. I downloaded an app on my iPhone called C25K (Couch to 5K), and I’m hoping that if nothing else, it will give me a set workout and thus help me get back into running shape again. I really need to get my stamina up, and since Gabe recently finished putting the Bo-Flex together, I now have a way to strength train as well. It’s going to be a LONG road to being in shape again, but I’m looking forward to the challenge! Hope everyone has had a great weekend! Love and hugs from Brazil! :)